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It is often assumed that separated or retired officers are at increased risk for suicide. The goal of this study was to compare police suicide rates between currently working and separated/retired officers. A 55-year retrospective mortality police cohort was utilized consisting of 3228 officers who worked between January 1, 1950 and December 31, 2005. Poisson regression and survival analysis were used for comparisons. Adjusted for age and years of service, suicide rates were 8.4 (95% CI = 3.8-18.7) times higher in working officers vs. separated/retired officers (110.5 vs. 13.1 per 100,000 person-years respectively). Survival time to suicide was significantly lower (p < 0.0001) for current working officers, suggesting suicide in a significantly shorter time span. Previous research indicates that the majority of suicides in working officers occur in the five years just prior to retirement eligibility, suggesting a period of decision anxiety. Results suggest a higher risk of suicide among working compared to separated/retired officers. However, the need for suicide prevention efforts remains important among both active and retired police officers.

The majority of police suicide research has focused on larger police departments. Very little research has been done within small departments. The present study compared suicide rates between small and larger police departments. Two Hundred ninty-eig...

Police officers are chronically exposed to work stress. We examined specific stressors that may be associated with hopelessness, a possible risk factor for suicide in this high suicide risk population. The study included 378 officers (276 men and 102...

Previous epidemiological research indicates that police officers have an elevated risk of death relative to the general population overall and for several specific causes. Despite the increased risk for mortality found in previous research, controver...

Objective : Approximately 70% of all US suicides are among working-age adults. This study was to determine whether and how 12-month suicidal ideation and suicide attempt were associated with specific occupations among currently employed adults aged 1...